Ok, that might be a little dramatic. But here’s why I can’t get enough of the Swedish wonderland, Ikea.
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Innovative Products- There’s nothing I like better than tools that just make sense. For example: The Magnifix trivet, a magnetic rubber trivet that sticks to your stove, microwave, non-aluminum pans, all while looking downright cool. It’s perfect for me because it doesn’t jam up by kitchen drawers and even better, I’ll have to work a lot harder to burn it than I did it’s cloth predecessors.
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Fashionable Function- My significant other comes from the school of function. No matter how hard I try to trash the box that my Diet Dr. Pepper cans came in, it somehow manages to resurface until every can is in it. Ikea works for both of us because their solutions are both fashionable and functional. Their Sortera system is perfect for those nagging cans as well as our recycling. I can’t help but love their Rationell plastic bag holder, and the BEST solutions for freeing up our cupboard storage problem have been their Burken glass jars for dry good storage and the Krogen ceiling-mounted utensil rack to keep my pots and pans in reach.
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Systems that Work- Excuse me while I get a little passionate, but what sets Ikea apart is that you don’t just get tools. You get entire systems. Whether your problems are in the bedroom closet, laundry room, your entertainment area, or all, you end up with a solution that works because the solutions are customizable and therefore versatile. You don’t get a pre-made wardrobe with a shelf in the wrong height or a drawer you’ll never use. Instead, you pick the wardrobe you like and accessorize the interior with a myriad of mix-and-match fittings that are perfect for your needs & belongings. Have 10,000 pairs of socks? You can have a whole wardrobe full of them with wire drawers to organize them however you wish. You’re still weird, but Ikea doesn’t judge.
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Affordable Prices- If you have as much stuff as I do, organizing it all can become expensive. Fast. A $45 laundry hamper isn’t going cut it. I can honestly say that less than 5% of the organizational aids that I’ve purchased from Ikea have cost over $10/item. The less I pay, the more I can organize and the simpler my life becomes.
If you don’t live near an Ikea, check out their website to locate the nearest store. It’s worth the drive, but pack light because you’ll be coming back with more than you’d bargained for.
-JV
